Utah is reported to launch opioid awareness campaign prepared by the Utah Department of Health in collaboration with the Utah Department of Commerce years before. The goal is to raise people’s awareness of the dangers of using opioid and to reduce the overdose risks to avoid deaths.
According to CBS News, the latest report from the Utah Department of Health had revealed that nearly 300 residents from Utah had died due to opioid overdoses in 2015. It was also shown that the rates of opioid prescription had risen to 30 percent from 2002 to 2015.
Angela Dunn, deputy state epidemiologist for the health department then stated that as there are a high number of deaths involved with prescription opioids, understanding its risks is vital to safety. It was then explained that the opioid campaign would involve Utah pharmacists. Greg Jones, chairman of the Utah Pharmacy Licensing Board then explained that red stickers would be placed by the pharmacists.
The red sticker would be labeled "Caution: Opioid. Risk of Overdose and Addiction" which aims to allow people to ask about certain dangers of opioid. Jones added that people tend to think that opioids are safe to take when it is not that all simple as reported by Fox 13 Now.
With that said, the pharmacists are to explain queries about the opioid’s proper usage and would be able to provide an overdose-reversing drug called naloxone to those experiencing risks. "We hope that when people see these warning stickers, they will ask us about the medications they have been prescribed and what they should watch for and do in case of a potential overdose," he stated.
Nonetheless, people are growing more aware of the dangers of opioid as seen on anecdotes. Yet, the results would still take time, Dunn concluded. The red sticker campaign for opioid awareness was said to be effective starting Monday.
